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Bryan Fuller 'Confident' of 'Hannibal' Season 3 Renewal

NBC's Hannibal series is one of the more beloved and well-reviewed shows on television - just read our own Kevin Yeoman's reviews - but its ratings are consistently "meh." This has created a certain degree of agita in fans of the show, who not only want to see it graduate to season 3, but also want to see showrunner Bryan Fuller's vision of Silence of the Lambs eventually realized.

The good news is, Fuller recently indicated that he's feeling "very confident" about the show's chances of renewal.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Bryan Fuller spoke in depth about his confidence...with a modicum of doubt, as well:

"I hear very positive things. All of the creatives at NBC are so supportive of the show and want it back, and the schedules and salespeople are like, 'It's a new show, get rid of it'. We are banking on the creative people winning out over the salespeople."

Uh-oh. Who usually wins out in these sorts of battles? The creatives or the salespeople? (That's an honest question.) And if the ratings are so ho-hum, what hope is there at all for the show - which looks beautiful and probably doesn't have an insubstantial budget - to get its renewal?

Well, according to Fuller:

"The ratings are not anything to jump up and down about, but the critical acclaim is great, and we're sort of a prestige project for the network, so we're hoping that's enough, like it was last year. There have been indications that it will be."

When fuller says Hannibal is a "prestige project for a network" and that he's hoping that's enough to get a renewal "like it was last year," he's referring to the series' ability to garner accolades (awards, reviews, staying power, et cetera). It's obviously not as important as ratings, but when you have so few truly critically-acclaimed shows that can stand the test of time - as NBC does at the moment - it's not nothing.

Unfortunately, if Hannibal doesn't get a season 3, fans might be more than a little bit perturbed - Fuller hints that the season 2 finale will leave things hanging. On a cliff, as it were.

Says Bryan Fuller:

"We end season 2 in such a strange way - boy, I would be pissed [if that were the end]! We don't quite land the plane, we leave the plane in the air."

On the plus side, even if NBC drops Hannibal, it might not be the end for the show. Could a future on Netflix, Amazon, or a cable channel be in the cards?

"The confidence hasn't stopped us from seeking out backup plans that would get us a third season one way or another. There are many more options than there have been in the past. So I feel very confident about a season 3."

Beyond being a prestige project, this is one of the other reasons NBC renewed Hannibal last year - other networks were more than willing to swoop in and pick up the pieces. Because really, that's just how good the show is.

What say you, Screen Ranters? Are you enjoying Hannibal? Are you crossing your fingers for a season 3? Drop us a line in the comments.